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Terry deal is a ‘great boost’ for Chelsea, says Cahill

John Terry: Agreed one-year contract extension at the Blues

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill believes John Terry’s contract extension is a “great boost” for the club after the Blues captain confirmed he will be staying next season.

The 35-year-old’s long association with the west London club had looked to be coming to an end, 17-and-a-half years after making the first of 703 appearances.

The Chelsea skipper’s time at the club appeared to be coming to an end when he confirmed he would not be staying beyond the end of his contract this summer, but Chelsea insisted they could still offer him a new deal.

And fellow centre-back Cahill insists Terry’s decision to stay this summer is “fantastic news” for everyone associated with the club.

“It’s important,” said Cahill. “All the lads are very happy, I am sure the fans are very happy, so it is a great end to the season in that respect.

“But, for us, I just echo what everyone is thinking: it is a great boost, a great boost for the club, it’s a great lift for the players and obviously the fans.

“Although it kind of dragged on for a little while, it has been sorted now and we look forward to him being part of his squad like he has been for many, many, many, many, many years. It is fantastic news for us.”

That news, and a new era at Stamford Bridge under Antonio Conte, is at the back of Cahill’s mind for now, though, as Euro 2016 preparations step up.

With England captain Wayne Rooney unavailable due to the FA Cup final, the 41-cap defender will lead his country out for the second time when Turkey visit the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

It is one of three matches in which Roy Hodgson has to experiment with personnel and partnerships before Euro 2016, although the 26-man squad has to be trimmed to 23 by the end of the month.

“It is certainly a very good squad,” Cahill told BBC Radio 5 live. “It is an exciting squad.

“It is a squad that has, not all of us but a lot of, been together now for two years and gone through the qualification campaign together and worked hard to get to where we are now.

“We feel like we’ve progressed so, for me, it’s a very good squad and as an England player and fan an exciting squad.”